Poppy wearers refused entry to Wetherspoon pub in Gosport; company denies a poppy ban

Right · 2Video shared on social media on Sunday 25 October appears to show staff at The Star, a JD Wetherspoon pub in Gosport, Hampshire, refusing entry to people wearing poppies. 1 2 Right · 2GB News reported that a group of six people was refused entry. The Daily Express described a man it called a British Army veteran and said he was reportedly refused entry; it called the incident alleged. 1 2 Right · 2In the footage a doorman says the poppy is "political" and that wearers could enter if they put it in a pocket, but would be asked to leave if they put it on inside. GB News said a person believed to be the manager spoke of a "blanket ban" on anything that could be "perceived as political". 2 1

Right · 2Reform UK councillors publicised the footage. Joe Standen, a councillor for Paulsgrove, posted it on the Spotted Pompey Facebook page, and George Madgwick, whom the Express calls Leader of Reform UK in Hampshire and GB News calls a Portsmouth City councillor, shared separate footage on X. Madgwick told GB News the group were Reform UK members who had been campaigning but wore nothing identifying the party. 2 1 Right · 1Standen, a former Royal Marines Commando, called the episode "shameful". Madgwick wrote on X that it was "Company policy" not to admit people with a poppy, a claim the Express attributes to the Gosport manager. 2 Right · 1A Wetherspoon spokesperson told the Express there is "no ban on poppies in Wetherspoon pubs" and that the chain supports the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. The spokesperson said standard security measures were in place because of demonstrations in the town, and that some people, including some wearing poppies, did not gain entry. 2

Right · 2The spokesperson said the pub closed to all customers on police advice at 1700 and remained closed on Monday, and apologised to regular customers. GB News said Wetherspoon had been contacted for comment. 2 1 Right · 2The same day, about 400 anti-migrant protesters gathered in Gosport after two small boats arrived nearby, with a counter-protest also present. Hampshire Police said both passed without incident and no arrests were made, and that it imposed a face-covering ban and a dispersal order. 1 2 Right · 1GB News noted that Wetherspoon appears to operate a general no-flags, no-placards policy and had previously been criticised over a woman in a Union Jack dress being refused entry elsewhere. It also noted that in 2017 the company clarified it had not banned staff from wearing poppies after a spoof Twitter account claimed it had. 1